Derbyshire warning against taking legal highs and driving

Published:16:54Thursday 14 August 2014

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Derbyshire police are issuing advice to warn drug users about the dangers of using new psychoactive substances following a recent court case.

Last month a 20-year-old woman was convicted of dangerous driving at High Peak Magistrates’ Court after she admitted to driving under the influence of new psychoactive substances. She appeared at court on Wednesday, July 16 and received a 12 month driving ban, 12 month community order, 54 hours unpaid work and a fine.

She had collided with two vehicles which were parked on Hayfield Road in Birch Vale on Friday, March 3 2014.

Psychoactive substances, which may be more commonly known as ‘legal highs’, have been sold for more than 20 years and new ones are being developed all the time.

Police are advising users over concerns that many substances being taken are new, and have not been tested to see what effects they would have either mentally or physically. Many of the products are marked as ‘not for human consumption’, or ‘research chemicals’.

In some cases the substances being sold on the Internet as ‘legal highs’ have been found to contain illegal drugs. Users should be aware that they are risking criminal convictions if they are found with an illegal drug, whether they think it is legal or not.

Officers have investigated shops and websites that have been selling these substances to see if any offences have been committed and will continue to do so alongside partner agencies. Any supplier who is found to be breaking the law will be prosecuted.

This concern spreads to the illicit market where illegal drugs are regularly found to contain a different substance to that which the buyer is expecting.